Gold, Frankincense, and Ham

Gold, Frankincense, and Ham

Even if you don’t have small children in your life, you’ve got to read (or perhaps re-read) Barbara Robinson’s The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. This is the story of the six Herdman children who cause trouble as the main actors in the upcoming Christmas pageant. The...
I Feel Like I’m Falling

I Feel Like I’m Falling

I experienced a captivating moment today. I stood in my backyard while Riley was sleuthing for chipmunks. As I lifted my face to the sun, the wind chose that moment to gust slightly. Leaves from seemingly every tree were released. They swirled around and around as...
Ashes of Roses

Ashes of Roses

When my husband and I were newlyweds, we both worked in Washington, DC. My office was on the way to my husband’s, so we took the subway together, he’d walk me to my building, then go on his way. The process was reversed at close of day. My husband has always possessed...
Teddy Bear Memories

Teddy Bear Memories

The first bear was created not to mark a memory but rather in joyous anticipation of a baby.  Always the thoughtful one, seamstress extraordinaire Nancy Caldwell made custom crib sheets and a teddy bear in matching print as a gift for a friend who was adopting a baby....
Buttercream, Caramel, or Maple?

Buttercream, Caramel, or Maple?

My first job at the age of 18 was assembling boxes of assorted chocolates. OK,  I know some of you are right now channeling the old I Love Lucy segment where Lucy and Ethel are working at a candy factory. They have screwed up several other jobs there, and the boss...